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Show: Ubu on the Table
Society: Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Venue: Summerhall (V26), Edinburgh EEH9 1PL
Credits: Theatre de la Pire Espece
Type: Sardines
Author: Chris Abbott
Performance Date: 19/08/2016
Ubu on the Table
Chris Abbott | 20 Aug 2016 10:26am
Photo: Djeyo
Lecture halls can make good theatres; the sight lines are usually excellent, and drinks (or reviewer notebooks) can sit on the desk running in front of each row of seats. A further welcome is provided by the two performers from Th de La Pire Espece as they make contact and smile at the audience members as they arrive. This device draws us in to the company’s central conceit, a version of Jarry’s Ubu Roi which they have named Ubu on the Table.
All the characters are played by found objects, most engagingly in the case of the King and his son, portrayed by quarrelling upturned teapots. This experienced company, who have already performed the piece around the world in French and Spanish, grapple with the English version engagingly, any inaccuracies smoothed over by charm.
Although there is plenty of more traditional puppet theatre at Edinburgh this year, object theatre is less popular than it once was, but this pair of (unnamed – no programme sheet) actors are masters of the genre, although their use of voice was powerful too, and the strongest point of the show was the skilful enlisting of the audience into the necessary conspiracy to believe these objects are what they claim them to be. I was particularly struck by the vain claw hammer Prince and the sudden appearance of a coffee filter paper as a parachute.
The nobles – a trio of spoons – livened up the performance too, especially when executed by being propelled into the audience. There was a great deal of energy projected through this table-top performance, but the audience, if not the performers, were tiring by the end: it was perhaps too long. However, in many ways this was the archetypal Fringe performance: committed performers (in this case from Canada), a small but game audience, and an original concept; which is what we all come to Edinburgh to see.
- : admin
- : 19/08/2016